The present invention relates to a method for supporting the user suffering from the difficulty of continuing to use an information service while monitoring the user operation of an information service system for supplying information services in compliance with a request from the user.
The following conventional methods are available for monitoring the user conditions and supplying a service to a user in response to a request made by key operation of the user to support the user as required.
Specifically, in the method of monitoring an automatic transaction system as described in JP-A-62-57063, the customer information is notified to a person in charge, who supports a customer in the case where the number of erroneous operations by the customer exceeds a predetermined reference number.
The automatic cash transaction system as described in JP-A-64-70870, on the other hand, switches the operating screen to the one for the novice in the case where the operation is discontinued for longer than a reference time and a stagnation is judged.
JP-A-2-247776, on the other hand, discloses an operation guiding method for the automatic transaction system, in which whether or not the user is accustomed to the operation is judged according to the time required for each operation, the number of operating errors, the number of transactions and the selective input by the user, and the user is supported, if required, by switching the operation guiding screen.
In the customer operation guiding system disclosed in JP-A-6-44283, a customer who is at a loss what to do can select an operating key interlocked with the window to receive an interactive support of the teller.
These methods find applications in such systems as ATM for automatically handling transactions in the financial world, etc., and have the main object of supporting the users who have no knowledge of the operation sequence.
In the financial and public service fields, in order to meet the ever increasing variety of needs from customers and citizens, an information service system is being introduced for fulfilling purposes of centralizing window functions at an increased number of strategic points. The information service system is installed in staffless shops and branches for handling various transactions and application procedures, supplying information, tele-consultations and other various services.
In keeping with an ever increasing variety of services supplied in these systems, the purposes of supporting the user are ramified. As to the services of transactions and receipt for application procedures, for example, as many sessions as possible can be desirably processed. This makes it necessary to support the user to complete each session within a short time. In many cases of information and tele-consultation services, on the other hand, the purposes of the user resorting to them are ambiguous, and therefore it is necessary to support the user to such an extent as to satisfy the user.
The conventional methods disclosed in JP-A-62-57063, JP-A-64-70870 and JP-A-2-247776, however, take into consideration only the description of the operation sequence as an object of supporting the user and fail to take any measure for supporting the user having an ambiguous object.
The customer operation guiding method disclosed in JP-A-6-44283 in which the teller participates, on the other hand, can offer the supporting work other than the operation guide constituting the main purpose. This method, however, makes it necessary for the user to select a key operatively interlocked with the teller, and poses the problem that this key is rarely depressed by users who are not accustomed to the operation.